The Morning: Presidential medical secrets

Plus, the NATO summit, the Olympics and young priests.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 11, 2024 By David Leonhardt and Ian Prasad Philbrick Good morning. We're covering the history of White House health cover-ups — as well as the NATO summit, the Olympics and young priests. President Biden at the White House. Doug Mills/The New York Times A long history The scandal is almost as old as the United States itself: The president has a health problem that he and his aides try to shroud from the public. Only later — years later, in some cases — does the severity become clear. The list of cover-ups is remarkably long. After a mysterious illness caused James Madison to miss meetings with senators in 1813, he blamed a watch malfunction. During Chester Arthur's only term as president, he hid a kidney ailment that likely contributed to his death a year after he left office. Grover Cleveland's aides lied about a surgery in 1893 — performed on a friend's yacht — to excise a tumor in his mouth. Woodrow Wilson spent his last year and a half as president debilitated by strokes while his wife and doctor secretly carried out some presidential duties. Franklin D. Roosevelt concealed the ailments that led to his death months after he won the 1944 election. Dwight Eisenhower's doctor initially described his heart attack in 1955 as "a digestive upset." John F. Kennedy's aides lied about his Addison's disease. Ronald Reagan's administration hid the extent of his injuries after he was shot in 1981 and the signs of his dementia in later years. Donald Trump misled the public about the severity of his Covid illness. President Biden and his aides have become part of this presidential tradition. They have minimized and managed his public appearances to hide his age-related decline, according to reporting by The Times and other news organizations. Even as he has become confused or lost the thread of conversations more often in recent months, he and his aides have insisted he remained sharp and vigorous. The truth seems quite different. The actor George Clooney wrote in a Times Opinion essay yesterday that he noticed Biden's struggles at a fund-raiser Clooney co-hosted three weeks ago. "He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020," Clooney wrote. "He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate." Pelosi's coded message What happens next? The Democratic Party remained in a crisis of indecision yesterday, but there was some movement away from Biden. Nancy Pelosi — the former speaker of the House, who commands widespread respect in the party and is a longtime Biden ally — made cryptic but pointed remarks on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show. "It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," she said, ignoring his insistence that he was running. "Time is running short." Nancy Pelosi  Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Yesterday evening, Peter Welch of Vermont became the first senator to call on Biden to step aide. In the House, Pat Ryan of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon became the eighth and ninth Democrats to urge Biden to quit the race. Democrats have no formal way to deny Biden the nomination, given his victories in this year's primaries. Instead, senior figures in the party would need to persuade him that he could not win or pressure him through public statements and withheld campaign donations. Some Democrats continue to believe that a weakened Biden is a stronger nominee than Vice President Kamala Harris or the winner of an unknown process to replace him. Privately, though, many Democratic officials say they now think Biden is too wounded to beat Trump. An article in The Atlantic, by Tim Alberta, reported that Trump's top campaign officials consider Biden an almost ideal opponent because of his image of weakness. If Biden manages to stay in the race and win, there will be at least partial precedent. Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan all won elections — and even had major accomplishments — after they misled the public about their health. If Biden drops out, he will become part of a different tradition — presidents whose condition was too serious or obvious to survive their attempts at spin. In 1884, some of Arthur's allies tried to have him renominated even as he dealt with Bright's disease, his kidney ailment. In 1920, a debilitated Wilson expressed a desire to run for a third term. Neither Arthur nor Wilson ended up on the ballot, however. From the archives: Three months after Arthur left office, The Times reported that he had Bright's disease. You can read the story, from 1885. More on Biden Trump suggested he wanted Biden to remain his opponent. "I hope that he can carry it on," Trump said, adding, "We planned for him." George Stephanopoulos, the ABC anchor who interviewed Biden last week, apologized after he was secretly recorded saying that he didn't believe Biden could serve four more years. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California ruled out running against Harris if Biden drops out and Democrats have an open convention this year. Democrats are weeks away from formally naming their presidential nominee. With questions abounding about Biden's candidacy, read a few ways the process could unfold. NBC News will interview Biden on Monday. More on the election Some Trump allies were behind Project 2025, a conservative policy plan for the next Republican administration that has outraged Democrats and features extreme executive-branch overhauls. Read what to know. In a speech in Dallas, Harris sharpened her attacks on Trump, saying that he would deport peaceful protesters and terminate the Constitution in a second term. New Hampshire has voted for the Democratic nominee for president for two decades. Some frustrated voters are considering alternatives, a recent poll showed. THE LATEST NEWS NATO Summit NATO leaders in Washington.  Eric Lee/The New York Times NATO accused China of supplying Russia with technology for its attacks on Ukraine. The U.S. and NATO allies agreed that Ukraine should have an "irreversible" path to membership in the alliance. The commitment is meant to survive a potential Trump presidency. Some member countries are concerned the U.S. could withdraw under Trump. More on Politics A bipartisan group of senators proposed a bill that would bar lawmakers and their families from buying and selling stocks, NBC News reported. Previous similar efforts have failed. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced articles of impeachment against Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The articles aren't likely to advance in the Republican-controlled House. A judge said he was leaning toward dismissing Rudy Giuliani's request for bankruptcy protection, an outcome that would let creditors pursue lawsuits against Giuliani. The Biden administration said it would impose tariffs on metal imported from Mexico that was partially made in China. Officials said that would close a trade loophole. International In Cairo. Fatma Fahmy for The New York Times Thousands of displaced Palestinians now live in Cairo. They have few job prospects and no way to put their children in local public schools. The Israeli military has urged Palestinians across Gaza City to head south, a sign of renewed fighting meant to crack down on a resurgent Hamas insurgency there. The French government has bused thousands of homeless immigrants out of Paris before the Olympics. Many said they were promised housing, only to wind up on unfamiliar streets. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew from a West African economic bloc that allows free movement between countries. The grouping had imposed sanctions on all three nations after military coups. Weather In Santa Barbara County, Calif. Daniel Dreifuss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Intense wildfires are burning across California. Read what to know about this fire season. After Hurricane Beryl, power outages have strained Houston's health care system. Doctors determined that it was unsafe to discharge some patients to homes without air-conditioning, amid a searing heat wave. See a list from The A.P. of heat records broken around the world this year. Other Big Stories Elon Musk is trying to firm up plans for his lifelong goal of reaching Mars. Some SpaceX employees are working on designs and details for what a Martian city could look like. Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial began. Prosecutors portrayed the actor as disregarding safety procedures, while the defense said Baldwin didn't think there would be live rounds on set. New York will ban large hotels from providing guests with tiny plastic bottles of shampoo and soap. Opinions Damon Winter/The New York Times Donald Trump is unfit to lead this country. Voters must see the dangers of a second Trump term clearly and reject him, the editorial board writes. Only Senator Chuck Schumer can tell Biden to end his re-election campaign. It could be his biggest leadership test yet, Michelle Cottle writes. Here's a column by Nicholas Kristof on Biden's candidacy. The Games Sale. Offer won't last. Games for relaxation. Games for concentration. We have them all. For a limited time, save 50% on your first year of a New York Times Games subscription and enjoy new puzzles every day. MORNING READS At the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee. Nick Hagen for The New York Times Ordination: America's next generation of Catholic priests looks young, confident and conservative. Justice: Flawed science helped convict a man of murdering his baby. Why is he still in prison? Health: Quitting vaping can be hard. Read some expert tips. Social Q's: "Why is my brother so angry that I changed tables at his son's wedding?" Lives Lived: Mary Martin was a Grammy-winning talent scout, manager and record executive who helped start the careers of Leonard Cohen and Emmylou Harris — and introduced Bob Dylan to the Band. She died at 85. SPORTS Euros: England defeated the Netherlands and will advance to the final, against the favorites, Spain. It will be England's second consecutive Euros final. Copa América: Colombia earned its place in the final, where it will face Argentina. The team beat Uruguay despite playing the second half with only 10 men. U.S. men's soccer: The national team coach, Gregg Berhalter, was fired after a disappointing Copa América showing. Tennis: Taylor Fritz, the last American in the singles at Wimbledon, lost to a lower-seeded Italian player in a five-set quarterfinal. ARTS AND IDEAS "Sails" by Glenn Kaino. Alex Welsh for The New York Times When the Intuit Dome, the $2 billion home of the Los Angeles Clippers, opens next month, visitors will encounter ambitious works by artists with L.A. connections. See the sculptures, murals and digital installations. More on culture The U.S. gymnasts. GK Elite Sportswear At this summer's Olympics, Simone Biles and other U.S. gymnasts will be wearing leotards decorated with more than 10,000 crystals. Carol Bongiovi, Jon Bon Jovi's mother, died at 83. She was a former Marine and Playboy bunny. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Lightly dress this warm potato salad with hot bacon fat and vinegar. Stay cool at home — with or without A.C. — with these tips. Make meals more fun with a lazy Susan. Relieve chapped lips with the best balms. Avoid cooking splatter with a great apron. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was frontman. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —David and Ian Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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